Systems and methods for real-time account access

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods for real-time account access, allowing access to accounts (such as deposit, credit, or debit accounts) through network processing infrastructures such as Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT). In some embodiments, consumers and/or merchants are able to effect transaction requests against accounts, using a pseudo-identifier or other identifier, and without the need to provide an account number or card number. In other embodiments, payment networks are able to route and process transaction requests against accounts, without having a card number or account number. In other embodiments, account processing systems are able to determine an appropriate account based on transaction requests that do not contain card numbers or account numbers.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of prior-filed U.S. ProvisionalApplication 61/612,897, filed Mar. 19, 2012, which is herebyincorporated by reference in the present application.

FIELD OF DISCLOSURE

The disclosed embodiments are generally directed to systems and methodsfor real-time account access.

BACKGROUND

Network processing infrastructures, such as EFT (Electronic FundsTransfer) network processing, are used to process payments fromtraditional credit or debit card transactions. EFT enables quickprovisioning of account information and other related information forpurchases and other purposes. For example, when a cardholding customerseeks to purchase an item at a store, the customer will generally handher card to the merchant and the merchant will swipe the card through amagnetic stripe machine to read the card information, including the cardnumber. Card numbers are typically 13-19 digits long, and uniquelyidentify the user's credit or debit account.

After the card number is received by the merchant, the merchant sendsthe card number, along with other information associated with thetransaction, such as price, date, time, location, cardholder name, to apayment network. The payment network will typically route thatinformation to the appropriate card issuer based on the card number. Thefirst digits typically identify the “issuer,” that is, the entity, suchas a company, that issued the card. So, for example, a card numberbeginning with a ‘4,’ e.g., 4000 1234 5678 9012, will typically identifyVISA as the card provider/issuer. Each issuer typically has a numericidentifier that is associated with and represents their cards.

The appropriate issuer, for example, a credit or charge card company,will then typically consult its records to determine the appropriateaccount and verify whether that account contains sufficient funds orcredit to make a transaction (e.g., a purchase). The result of thisdetermination will typically be returned to inform the merchant whetherthe user is able to purchase the item. The entire process, from theoriginal capturing of the card data to the response providing fundsverification may happen in a relatively short period of time. In somesituations, this process happens in real-time or in near real-time.

However, in some situations, a card number for accessing a customer'saccount is not available. For example, if a customer decides to pay bycheck, the merchant must capture the RTN (Routing Transit Number) forthe bank that issued the check and the customer's personal accountnumber. The merchant must then use a system such as the AutomatedClearing House (ACH) to process the payment. ACH typically operates inbatches and thus the process to authorize a purchase can take muchlonger than a card-based transaction. Thus, using ACH increases theamount of time for the merchant to acquire the funds promised. ACH usefurther includes a possibility of accepting payments that are laterfound to be uncollectable (also known as a “bounced check”).

In other situations, a customer may not wish to provide his accountdetails to the merchant, for reasons of privacy or otherwise. This cancause issues in payment acceptance because a user will typically need toprovide his payment card information. Without this information, themerchant is typically unable to accept payment.

Still in other situations, such as with commercial accounts, there is nocard number that can be used to effect purchases. Thus, commercialpurchases may need to rely on the ACH system to make purchases, which(as mentioned before) Is slow, costly, and inefficient.

It would thus be desirable to provide for improved systems and methodsfor processing transactions to accounts using existing networkprocessing infrastructure with real-time or near real-time access. Itwould also be desirable for these systems and methods to supportrouting, processing, settling, and reporting of payment transactions.Advantages of such systems and methods include increased speed fortransaction processing, reliable account management and accounting,and/or a drop in uncollectable accounts. Further advantages will berecognized by one skilled in the art after considering the remainder ofthe disclosure.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

In accordance with example embodiments, a method for processing paymenttransactions by a device (such as a payment network device) comprisesreceiving transaction requests from an acquirer and determining that thetransaction request represents a transaction that does not require acard or account number. The method further comprises selecting anaccounting processor based on the contents of the transaction request,providing the transaction request to the selected accounting processor,and receive a response from the accounting processor. In some exampleembodiments, the response received may comprise at least one of aselected account for the transaction request based at least in part onthe contents of the transaction request or an account balance associatedwith the selected account. The method further comprises, approving,denying, or taking further action on the transaction request. Similarly,in some example embodiments, a computer system comprises at least oneprocessor and a memory containing instructions that, when executed bythe processor, cause the processor to perform the operations of thismethod.

In accordance with example embodiments, a method for processing paymenttransactions by an accounting processor device comprises receiving, atthe accounting processor device (e.g., from a network device), atransaction request determined by the network device to not require acard or account number. The method further comprises selecting anaccount for the transaction request based at least in part on thecontents of the transaction request, determining a balance of theselected account, and generating a response based on the contents of thetransaction request and the balance. The response comprises informationfor determining whether to approve or deny the transaction request.Similarly, in some example embodiments, a computer system comprises atleast one processor and a memory containing instructions that, whenexecuted by the processor, cause the processor to perform the operationsof this method.

In accordance with example embodiments, a method for processing apayment transaction by an acquirer processor device comprises a step ofreceiving information using at least one computer system for conductinga payment transaction. In some example embodiments, the information doesnot include a card or account number. The method further comprises thecomputer system generating a transaction request including at least oneidentifier based on the information, sending the transaction request toa payment network for processing, and receiving at least one response tothe transaction request based on at least one account associated withthe identifier. Similarly, in some example embodiments, a computersystem comprises at least one processor and a memory containinginstructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processorto perform the operations of this method.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description andthe following detailed description are examples and explanatory only andare not restrictive of the disclosed embodiments, as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute apart of this specification, illustrate several embodiments of thedisclosed embodiments and together with the description, serve toexplain principles of the disclosed embodiments.

FIG. 1 is an example network 100 in accordance with some embodiments;

FIG. 2 is an example network communication diagram 200 displaying someportions of communications usable in accordance with some embodiments;

FIG. 3 is an example message format 300 for use with in accordance withsome embodiments;

FIG. 4 is an example diagram 400 of some data fields for use with inaccordance with some embodiments; and

FIG. 5 is an example computer system 500 for use with in accordance withsome embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to the disclosed embodiments,examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying figures. Whereverpossible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout thedrawings to refer to the same or like parts.

The disclosed embodiments employ multiple modes of operation to processa payment transaction (also referred to herein as a “transaction”). Afirst mode of operation is known as “native mode.” In native mode, amessage (also referred to herein as a transaction request or paymentrequest) may be passed between devices. The message, in someembodiments, may conform to or be based upon the ISO 8583 message. TheISO 8583 standard defines a format for messages so, among other things,different systems can exchange data and effect transactions.

A native mode message allows a transaction to utilize existing paymentcard transaction channels even without a payment card. For example, anISO 8583 message could be used to effect these transactions. In someembodiments, the native mode system would construct one of thesemessages using particular information. At least part of this informationmay signify that the message is going to be used for a purpose differentfrom its ordinary purpose (i.e. different from a payment cardtransaction).

Another mode of operation is known as “non-native mode” or “X-REF mode.”This mode may be similar to the above native mode but with messagesconstructed in a different manner. In some embodiments, a data store ordatabase may be consulted to determine an account number based on datastored in the messages. Both of these modes will be described later withrespect to at least FIGS. 3 and 4.

Both modes of operation enable the conducting of a transaction that doesnot require a card number or account number. For example, in thesituation of a user who does not wish to disclose her payment cardnumber or account number to a merchant, a transaction can still beprocessed, using the above modes of operation.

FIG. 1 is a representation of an example network 100 for use with thedisclosed systems and methods. Network 100 contains, in someembodiments, at least one of Acquirer Processor 101, at least one ofNetwork 103, and at least one of issuer 105. These individual elementsmay be implemented, in some embodiments, using one or multiple computersystems as will be referenced with respect to FIG. 5. The particularcomponents or devices used to implement each of these elements may vary.

Acquirer Processor 101, in some embodiments, includes a Front-End System101A and a Back-End System 101B. Front-End System 101A is used tocapture payment details. In some embodiments, Front-End System 101A maybe a merchant device for capturing data—including a cash register, anonline shopping cart system, a credit card reader, a check-scanningmachine (e.g. for reading MICR data), a computer, or the like. In otherembodiments, Front-End System 101A is operated by an acquiring bank.This may be, for example, the bank that processes payments for amerchant who has accepted payment details from a customer.

In some embodiments, Back-End System 101B can be a system for processingtransactions passed through Front-End System 101A. Back-End System 101Bcan be run by the same acquiring bank that runs Front-End system 101A.In other embodiments Back-End System 101B may be run by a differententity. Back-End System 101B, in some embodiments, can generate atransaction request based in part on the payment details captured byFront-End System 101A. Back-End System 101B can then send thistransaction request to a Network 103 for processing. In someembodiments, Front-End System 101A and Back-End System 101B may be asingle distinct computer system. In others, they may be multiplecomputer systems. In further embodiments, Front-End System 101A andBack-End System 101B may be any of an ATM/ATM Processor, a merchant/POSProcessor, a Bill Pay Merchant/Biller Processor, an Internetmerchant/Internet merchant Processor, or the like.

In some embodiments, Front-End System 101A or Back-End System 101B mayacquire customer credentials in order to effect a purchase or othertransaction. In some embodiments, these acquired credentials may be usedto create a constructed value. The constructed value may compriseinformation identifying a unique deposit account or other kind ofaccount. For example, accounts may comprise any of a deposit account, achecking account, a debit account, a credit account, a brokerageaccount, a business account, a personal account, or the like. One ofordinary skill will recognize that one particular type of account is notnecessarily essential to the disclosed embodiments.

In some embodiments, the constructed value may be unique. For example,in constructing a payment request including a constructed value, theconstructed value could refer only to the institution holding theaccount, with other information in the payment request referring to theparticular account. In some embodiments, this constructed value mayinclude any of a number of data types, including (but not limited to) aspecial value indicating the presence of a constructed value,identifiers (e.g., pre-agreed upon identifiers) for an account orinstitution (such as an International Bank Account Number (IBAN—usedprimarily outside of the United States), a Routing Transit Number (RTNor R&T Number—used primarily inside of the United States), a Canadiantransit number, a bank code, a branch code, a sort code, or any otheridentifier that at least partially identifies the account or theinstitution that holds it), a time and date for the payment request, orthe like.

In some embodiments, the constructed value may include a numberresembling a deposit account number, a card account number, or anothertype of account number (also known as a Primary Account Number (PAN)).PANs may comply with or be based on ISO 7812, which may, in part, assignspecific first digits of PANs to specific issuers.

In still other embodiments, the constructed value and/or the paymentrequest may include a number of other identifiers that can uniquelyidentify a customer or his accounts. For example, a customer's emailaddress, phone number (cellular/mobile, work, home, pager, etc.),username, social network identity (such as a Facebook or Twitteraccount), or the like, may be included. Additionally, these identifierscan be used to generate another identifier (such as a hexadecimal orencrypted value) for use in the payment request. Further, otheridentifiers may be used in some embodiments.

Network 103 can be an Interbank Network (such as NYCE, INTERAC, or thelike). Interbank Networks allow money systems (such as ATMs or paymentterminals) to access deposit or other accounts. In some embodiments,Network 103 enables the use of ATM cards issued by a bank to be used ata point of sale through an EFTPOS (Electronic Fund Transfer at Point OfSale) system. Rather than operating as a credit card transaction, whichwould typically need to go through a credit card issuer system, anEFTPOS transaction could be received by Network 103 and routed to theappropriate bank holding the account. Network 103 can be national,international, or both. Network 103, in some embodiments, may beconfigured to send messages to Accounting Processor 105, to requestAccounting Processor 105 to move funds associated with a transaction.

Accounting Processor 105 represents systems used in processing paymenttransactions. For example, in some embodiments, Accounting Processor 105may be a computer system that receives a transaction request, attemptsto process the transaction request (e.g., by debiting or creditingaccounts referenced in the request), and provides the status of theattempt to process the transaction request. Accounting Processor 105 maybe operated by, for example, an issuer, a bank, a credit union, acommercial bank, a company operating deposit accounts, or the like.Accounting Processor 105 may differ based on, for example, which kind oftransaction is being attempted. For example, a transaction on a creditcard not tied to a particular bank could be processed at a card Issuer'sservers. However, a debit card transaction that is tied to a depositaccount at a bank may be processed at least in part by the bank. In anycase, the group or organization operating Accounting Processor 105typically stores information on accounts, such as lines of credit,account balances, credit worthiness, payment history, and the like. Insome embodiments, the accounts managed by Accounting Processor 105 areknown as Demand Deposit Accounts (DDAs). Accounting Processor 105 maydeposit funds into accounts, withdraw funds from accounts, requestbalances of accounts, or perform other accounting transactions whenrequested by, for example, Network 103.

In some embodiments, Acquirer Processor 101, Network 103, and/orAccounting Processor 105 may employ a set of rules for initiating andprocessing transaction requests, such as EFTPOS transactions. In someembodiments, any or all of these devices may be configured to complywith these rules. For example, Accounting Processor 105 may beconfigured to move funds between accounts when requested by Network 103.Accounting Processor 105 may also be configured to process credittransactions, debit transactions, micro-transactions, or othertransactions, when requested by Network 103 and/or Acquirer Processor101. Accounting Processor 105 may also be configured to provide accountbalance or status (e.g., open, closed, suspended) when requested byAcquirer Processor 101. Accounting Processor 105 may also be configuredto settle transactions at the end of a business day. One of ordinaryskill will recognize that other rules for processing transactions arepossible as well.

FIG. 2 discloses an example method 200 for implementing portions of thedisclosed systems and methods. Method 200 begins with step 201A withAcquirer Processor 201 receiving credentials from a customer orpurchaser. These credentials (or “payment details”) could includepayment account information—such as an RTN (Routing Transit Number), anaccount number, a credit card number, a payment card number, a debitcard number, an identifier tied to an account, a pseudo-identifier thatwhen referenced in a data store or database resolves to an accountnumber, or the like. The payment details, in some embodiments, canuniquely represent a customer's deposit, credit, debit, or otheraccount. For example, payment details can comprise a customer's accountnumber. The payment details, in still other embodiments, can compriseanother unique identifier that is associated with customer's account.For example, the payment details can comprise a pseudo-identifier madeof numeric, hexadecimal, or another coding scheme, to identify thecustomer's account. In other embodiments, the payment details cancomprise a pseudo-card number or a constructed value. The first fewdigits of the constructed value could be a ‘59,’ but other values andconstructions are possible as well. A ‘59’ may be used to signify thatthe characters following it contain an ABA value. These values may beprovided by the customer attempting to purchase a good or make atransaction, may be generated by Acquirer Processor 101 based oninformation received from the customer, or the like.

In still other embodiments, the constructed value and/or the paymentdetails may include a number of other identifiers that can uniquelyidentify a customer or account. For example, a customer's email address,phone number (cellular/mobile, work, home, pager, etc.), username,social network identity (such as a Facebook or Twitter account), or thelike. Additionally, these identifiers can be used to generate anotheridentifier (such as a hexadecimal or encrypted value) for use in thepayment request. Further, other identifiers may be used in someembodiments.

In step 201B, Acquirer Processor 201 generates a transaction request. Insome embodiments, these transaction requests will be in the form of abalance inquiry transaction. A balance inquiry transaction may occurwhen an entity operating Acquirer Processor 201 (e.g. a merchant, abank, or the like) desires to find out whether the customer's accountcontains the funds required to make a purchase. In other embodiments,these transaction requests will be in the form of debiting or creditinginstructions. In some embodiments, transaction requests generated instep 201B can be in the form of, or based on, the ISO 8583 messagestandard, as will be described later with respect to FIGS. 3 and 4. Suchmessages may also contain information such as the type of transaction,the amount of the transaction, the date, the time, the locationinformation, or the like. In step 201C, Acquirer Processor 201 cansubmit the generated transaction request to Network 203.

In some embodiments, Network 203 (which, in some embodiments, may beimplemented as described above with respect to Network 103) is chosen byAcquirer Processor 201 for processing transactions. Network 203, in someembodiments, can be an Interbank Network (such as NYCE, INTERAC, or thelike) as mentioned previously. Network 203 may be enabled to provideproper routing of received transaction requests. This can be done, forexample, by determining the RTN and/or other information about thepayment type. This is represented in steps 203A and 203B, and can bedone in part by determining the existence of a particular value in thetransaction request. In some embodiments, this may involve determiningthe existence of the numbers ‘59’ (or another particular piece of data)at a particular position in the transaction request. A ‘59’ signifiesthat the characters following it contain an ABA value.

In other embodiments, for example, those involving a pseudo identity ofthe user (such as usernames, social network identities, phone numbers,or e-mail addresses), Network 203 may determine the appropriate routingby consulting a data store. After determining the existence of aparticular value in the transaction request, Network 203 may determinethat the characters following the particular value represent an RTN, andmay route the transaction as represented in step 203B to EFT Processing205. In some embodiments, step 203B may be performed shortly after arouting process (e.g., step 203A) is performed. In other embodiments,the process of routing in step 203B may be performed on a batch or bulkbasis. For example, if the transaction was submitted to Payment Network203 during the afternoon of a first business day (e.g., step 201C),determining the proper routing in step 203A and/or routing thattransaction request in step 2038 may be performed later that evening,along with determining and routing of other transaction requestsreceived the same day.

EFT Processing 205, as well as Authorization Processing 207 and CoreProcessing 209, can, in some embodiments, be part of a broaderAccounting Processor system 211. (In some embodiments, AccountingProcessor system 211 may be implemented as described above with respectto Accounting Processor 105.) In FIG. 2, these Processing systems arerepresented as three separate systems, but any or all may be implementedon a single computer or multiple computers. In step 205A, EFT Processor205 may determine the transaction parameters present in the forwardedtransaction request in order to determine the proper AuthorizationProcessing system 207 to send the request to for processing. Again, thismay involve determining the routing based on a particular value that ispresent in the transaction request (such as the RTN).

Once Authorization Processing 207 receives the transaction request instep 205B, the process continues to step 207A for account determination.Authorization Processing 207 may then determine the proper account. Thiscould be accomplished by inspecting the transaction request (andextracting an account number), consulting a cross-reference database(not pictured) to determine the proper account number/identifier basedon information in the transaction, or the like. Once this accountnumber/identifier is determined, a request may be sent to CoreProcessing 209 with that account number/identifier. This request, insome embodiments, comprises a request for the current balance of theaccount referenced by that account number/identifier. In otherembodiments, the request can comprise other operation requests, such asdebiting, crediting, or the like.

When Core Processing 209 receives the request in step 207B, it may takesome or all of a number of actions. Core Processing 209 may provide thebalance associated with the account referenced in the transactionrequest back to Authorization Processing 207. Core Processing 209 maydebit or credit based on the amount of money referenced in thetransaction request, and provide the new balance (i.e. after thedebit/credit) back to Authorization Processing 207. In otherembodiments, based on the particular transaction request, CoreProcessing 209 may respond differently, such as with an indication thatthe available balance is less than (or more than) the amount in thetransaction request; an indication that the ledger balance is less than(or more than) the amount in the transaction request; an indication ofthe health of the account (such as whether the account is open and/or ingood standing; an indication of how long the account has been open for;an indication of any negative history associated with the account,average balance ranges, or the like); the account owner's name, address,date the account was opened, or other information; or the like. Any orall of these items may make up a part of the response by Core Processing209 in step 207C.

Upon receiving the response in step 207C, Authorization Processing 207may determine, based on the content of the request, whether thetransaction should be approved or denied. For example, if the responsein 207C indicates that the account has less money than is required toeffect the purchase transaction referenced by the original transactionrequest, Authorization Processing 207 may deny the transaction, and mayconstruct a denial message for sending back to Acquirer Processor 201,via steps 205C, 203C, and 201D. If the account has enough money to coverthe transaction, Authorization Processing 207 may approve thetransaction, and send back an approval message via the same steps.

Authorization Processing 207 may also send back other messages, such asmessages indicating the amount of money available in an account, astatus of the account (such as whether the account is open or closed),an owner of the account, or a request for more information from theuser. Other messages may also be sent, as will be appreciated by thosehaving ordinary skill in the art.

FIG. 3 is an example message format 300 for use with the disclosedsystems and methods, in accordance with disclosed embodiments. Messagesbased on message format 300, in some embodiments, are used to transmitdata between the devices in FIGS. 1 and 2. In some embodiments, the dataelements in message format 300 may be based on the ISO 8583 messagestandard. Any of the revisions of this standard may be used, as well asother standards. In other embodiments, other messages may be used andthe particular data sizes and fields in FIG. 3 may vary. Furthermore, insome embodiments, the particular data fields in FIG. 3 may contain dataas described in FIG. 3. For example, the DE12 data element may contain 6bytes indicating the local time at a terminal where a transaction istaking place.

In some embodiments, a message as described with respect to messageformat 300 could include DE2 304 (i.e. “Data Element 2” 304) storing a“constructed PAN.” As mentioned above, PANs are generally used in theart to represent credit card numbers. PANs may comply with or be basedon ISO 7812, which defines which card issuers use the first digits ofthe PAN. For example, a ‘4’ in the first position of the PAN may signifyVISA, while a value of ‘53’ may signify MasterCard.

In some embodiments, the PAN can be constructed of multiple portions.The PAN may comprise a pseudo card number, which may be constructedbased on pre-agreed identifiers for an account (e.g. the above-mentionedRTN or IBAN). In some embodiments, a ‘59’ is used in the first twospaces to signify that the PAN is a constructed value. A nine-digit RTNor other identifier may follow, and following that would be an eightdigit value indicating time and date. This mode of operation has beenpreviously referred to in this disclosure as “native mode.”

In order to identify the particular account used by the customer, otherportions of message 300 can store the actual account number. Forexample, in some embodiments, the user's particular deposit accountcould be stored in another portion of the message; for example, in DE102323.

In other embodiments, the PAN can be constructed as a pseudo-identifier.That is, the PAN itself could be constructed as a cross-reference to anaccount number. So, upon receiving the PAN, an issuing bank couldconsult a table, database, or other data store, in order to determinethe account number associated with the pseudo-identifier. The accountnumber could then be used to debit the account or perform other actions.In some embodiments, the PAN may be constructed as a single- orlimited-use string of numbers (for example, composed of 19 decimaldigits or hexadecimal numbers), a hash of the account number, anencrypted string representing the account number, or the like. This modeof operation has been previously referred to in this disclosure as“non-native mode” or “X-REF mode.”

After identifying the account associated with either the account numberstored in message 300 or the pseudo-identifier stored in 300, an issuerwould be able to determine the proper account and process paymenttransactions. For example, this could include returning a balance,authorizing a payment, or the like, as previously mentioned with respectto FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 represents some data elements that make up the message describedin FIG. 3 above. To start, Data Element 2 (DE2) is represented as 401 inFIG. 4. In some embodiments, DE2 is used to store a constructed PAN. Thefirst two spaces indicate how many characters will follow (in exampleFIG. 4, this is ‘19’). Thus, DE2 is 21 characters long in total,including the ‘19’ at the beginning. Each of these characters, in someembodiments, may be a single digit (i.e. 0-9); however, in otherembodiments, a larger character set is usable (e.g. hexadecimal code).After the ‘19,’ a PAN will follow. In example FIG. 4, a constructed PANis represented as characters 3-21 in DE2. A ‘59’ signifies that thecharacters following it contain an ABA value. (However, othercharacters, including other numbers, letters, or the like, may be usedto signify that the following value is an ABA value.) The ‘R’ charactersrepresent the previously mentioned RTN, and the string ‘DDHHMMSS’represents the time of the transaction (i.e. Day, Hour, Minute, Second).

Data Element 32 (DE32) 402, in some embodiments, is used to identify theAcquiring institution, for example, Acquirer Processor 101, in order toproperly route the response back to sending party. DE32 enables anetwork, such as Network 103, to recognize transactions as coming from aparticular acquirer, such as a merchant. The first two digits (‘11’)signify the length of the data, and the second two digits (‘59’)represent that a non-card based transaction will take place. The final 9‘I’ characters represent an institution ID, that is, the ID of theinstitution that originated the message.

Continuing to Data Element 52 (DE58) 403, this data element contains anumber of bits signifying attributes of the transaction. In someembodiments, DE58 may be constructed as follows:

011 signifying the length of the field - in this case, 11 characterslong 0 signifying whether a transaction was attended - in this case, notat a stand-alone terminal 1 signifying whether a merchant operated theterminal - in this case, that a merchant operated the terminal 1signifying whether the transaction was made at a physical locationassociated with the acquirer institution - in this case, that thetransaction was made at a device not at a location associated with theacquirer institution, such as at an ATM device not located at anassociated bank's branch 0 signifying whether the customer is present -in this case, that the customer is not present 0 signifying whether acard is present - in this case, that the card is not present, and thatthe R&T number should be checked 0 signifying whether the merchant'sterminal has “card retention” capability, e.g., the ability to keep aphysical plastic card if instructed by an issuer (such as an ATM keepinga card in response to the issuer recognizing a stolen card) - in thiscase, that the merchant's terminal does not have this capability 0signifying whether this is the first time that the transaction has beenattempted, e.g., because the first attempt to process this transactiondid not work properly - in this case, that this is not the first attemptat this transaction 0 signifying whether a security check was performed(e.g., whether a driver's license or other identification document waschecked by a merchant) - in this case, that no security check wasperformed 00 signifying whether the terminal is an “administrative”terminal (e.g., a merchant terminal directly or indirectly operated by amerchant or cashier, such as a checkout line at a supermarket) or a“non-administrative” terminal (e.g., a non-merchant operated terminal,such as a stand-alone terminal operated by a customer, a website, anAutomated Teller Machine, etc.) was used to effect the transactionrequest - in this case, that the terminal was a non- administrativeterminal 1 signifying whether transaction data for this transaction wasmanually entered by a merchant (e.g., using a keypad) or automaticallyentered (e.g., using a magnetic card or other device to receive thetransaction data)

However, other values are possible for each of the data elements, basedon the individual characteristics of each transaction.

Moving on to Data Element 102 (DE102) 404, this data element may, insome embodiments, be used to signify the purchaser's accountinformation. In the ISO 8583 specification, this is referred to as the“Account ID 1.” In some embodiments, this may signify, as mentionedpreviously, the account data for the user's deposit account. As depictedin FIG. 4, DE102 consists of ‘028’, signifying that a 28-characterstring will follow. In some embodiments, these 28 characters may consistof digits from the MICR (Magnetic Ink Character Recognition) line of acheck given to the merchant by the customer.

FIG. 5 discloses an example computer system 500 for use with thedisclosed systems and methods, in accordance with disclosed embodiments.Example computer system 500 may power any of the methods, systems,devices, or computer-readable media mentioned above, in addition tothose disclosed in FIGS. 1-3.

In some embodiments, computer system 500 may be implemented as acellular phone, a mobile device, a POS (point-of-sale) device, a server,a wireless device, or any other system that includes at least some ofthe components of FIG. 5. Computer system 500 contains a CentralProcessing Unit 501, which enables data to flow between the othercomponents and otherwise manages the operation of the other componentsin computer system 500. CPU 501, in some embodiments, may be any of ageneral-purpose processor (such as an Intel- or AMD-brandedconsumer/business/enterprise processor), a special-purpose processor(for example, a graphics-card processor), or any other kind of processorthat enables input and output of data.

Also part of Computer system 500 is Input Device 502. In someembodiments, Input Device 502 may be any device that enables a user orother entity to input data. For example, Input Device 502 could be akeyboard, a mouse, or the like. Input Device 502 can be used to controlthe operation of the other components of FIG. 5.

Computer system 500 also includes Storage Device 503. Storage Device 503stores data that is usable by the other components in computer system500, including data that has previously been referenced and referred toin FIGS. 1-4. Storage Device 503 may, in some embodiments, beimplemented as any or all of a hard drive, temporary memory, permanentmemory, optical memory, or any other type of permanent or temporarystorage device.

Computer system 500 also includes Power Unit 506. Power Unit 506provides the electricity necessary to power the other components incomputer system 500. For example, in some embodiments, CPU 501 may needpower to operate; Power Unit 506 can provide the necessary electriccurrent to power this component.

Computer System 500 also includes Network Adapter 505. Network Adapter505, in some embodiments, enables communication with other devices thatare implemented in the same or similar way as computer system 500.Network Adapter 500, in some embodiments, may allow communication toand/or from a network such as the Internet; other networks are possibleas well. Network Adapter 500 may be implemented using any or all ofknown or as-yet-unknown wired or wireless technologies (such asEthernet, 802.11 a/b/g/n (aka Wi-Fi), cellular (e.g. GSM, CDMA, LTE), orthe like).

Additionally, any of the components in FIG. 5 may be implemented as oneor more of the illustrated components. For example, in some embodiments,CPU 501 may be implemented as any of multiple computer processors, aprocessor and a co-processor, or a single processor. For example, insome embodiments, Storage Device 503 may be implemented as any of RandomAccess Memory (RAM), Read-Only Memory, a hard drive, USB storage, aCD/DVD/Blu-Ray disk, or the like. The particular number of eachcomponent as illustrated in FIG. 5 is not controlling and a personskilled in the art will understand the appropriate number of eachcomponent for each particular implementation of the disclosedembodiments.

Other embodiments of the disclosed embodiments will be apparent to thoseskilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practiceof the disclosed embodiments disclosed herein. It is intended that thespecification and examples be considered as examples only, with a truescope and spirit of the disclosed embodiments being indicated by thefollowing claims.

Furthermore, the disclosed embodiments may be implemented in part or infull on various computers, electronic devices, computer-readable media(such as CDs, DVDs, flash drives, hard drives, or other storage), orother electronic devices or storage devices.

1-40. (canceled)
 41. A method for processing payment transactions via anetwork comprising: receiving a transaction request comprising a datastructure; locating a pseudo-identifier in the data structure; routingthe transaction request to an accounting computer system, the routingbeing based on the pseudo-identifier; receiving a response from theaccounting computer system, the response comprising information based onan account balance; and determining whether to approve or deny thetransaction request based on the response.
 42. The method of claim 41,the method further comprising selecting the accounting computer systembased on information stored in a data store and the transaction request,wherein routing the transaction request to the accounting computersystem is further based on the selecting of the accounting computersystem.
 43. The method of claim 41, the method further comprising:generating a notification based on the determination of whether toapprove or deny the transaction request based on the response, thenotification including information indicating whether the transactionrequest was approved or denied; and transmitting the notification to atleast one of a payment network or an acquirer processor associated withthe request.
 44. The method of claim 41, wherein the pseudo-identifiercomprises a limited use pseudo-identifier.
 45. The method of claim 41,wherein the pseudo-identifier comprises data indicating thepseudo-identifier does not comprise an account number or a card number.46. The method of claim 41, wherein the data structure comprisesinformation signifying attributes of a transaction.
 47. The method ofclaim 41, wherein the transaction request is received from a paymentnetwork as part of a batch operation.
 48. The method of claim 41,wherein the transaction request is received from a payment system in anevent triggered by the payment system receiving the transaction requestfrom an acquirer system.
 49. The method of claim 41, wherein theinformation based on the account balance indicates that a transaction isauthorized or is unauthorized.
 50. The method of claim 41, wherein theinformation based on the account balance comprises the account balance.51. The method of claim 41, the method further comprising reconciling atransaction based on the determining whether to approve or deny thetransaction request.
 52. The method of claim 41, wherein the accountingcomputer system is associated with an issuer.
 53. The method of claim41, wherein the data structure comprises information uniquelyidentifying a user.
 54. The method of claim 41, wherein the transactionrequest comprises at least one of: a request for a current balance; arequest for whether at least one of an available balance or a ledgerbalance is more than, less than, or equal to an amount in thetransaction request; a request for an account health indicator; or arequest for information associated with a user.
 55. The method of claim41, the method further comprising: transmitting a notification to anacquirer system via a payment network, the notification including arequest for further information.
 56. The method of claim 41, the methodfurther comprising returning crediting a monetary amount to the accountbased on the transaction request.
 57. The method of claim 41, whereinreceiving a transaction request comprising receiving the transactionrequest at an Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT) system.
 58. The method ofclaim 41, wherein the transaction request is an Electronic Fund Transfer(EFT) request.
 59. A system for processing a payment transaction,comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory containinginstructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, causethe at least one processor to perform a method comprising: receiving atransaction request associated with a transaction and comprising a datastructure; locating a pseudo-identifier in the data structure; routingthe transaction request to an accounting computer system, the routingbeing based on the pseudo-identifier; receiving a response from theaccounting computer system; and based on the response, performing oneof: approving the transaction; denying the transaction; or transmittinga request for further information associated with the transaction.
 60. Amethod for processing payment transactions via a network comprising:receiving a transaction request associated with a transaction andcomprising a data structure; locating a pseudo-identifier in the datastructure; routing the transaction request to an accounting computersystem, the routing being based on the pseudo-identifier; receiving aresponse from the accounting computer system; and based on the response,performing one of: approving the transaction; denying the transaction;or transmitting a request for further information associated with thetransaction.